A lot of people wrongfully believe that homosexuality is simply a sexual behaviour between two people of the same gender. But in fact, homosexuality represents diverse realities that include physical, sexual, affective, or romantic attraction towards someone of the same gender.

If we look at the different perspectives on homosexuality throughout time, we see many changes. We can think about, e.g., Ancient Grece, where homosexuality was seen as a normal behaviour. There are also certain societies and cultures that see, in homosexual people, magical abilities and assign them with shaman titles.

In occidental history, on the other hand, homosexuality has been severely punished for many centuries, especially because of Christianity. Homosexual allegations were enough to be condemned to torture or to be burned at the stake; one of the last legal mass-executions for homosexual people happened in the Dutch Republic (Netherlands) in 1730.

In Canada, homosexuality is no longer considered a mental health problem since 1973. It is worth mentioning that in 1969, the federal government decriminalized homosexuality. Throughout the years, many laws have come to strengthen the right to equality for homosexual people, e.g., the Civil Mariage Act of 2005.

Unfortunately, we have to remember that in 2021, homosexuality is still illegal in 69 countries and liable to life imprisonment or a death sentence.

Sources:

Source: Interligne. (2021). Mythes et réalités LGBTQ+.

Lee, John Alan (2015). Homosexualité, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/fr/article/homosexualite

RÉZO (s.d.). Historique de la situation de l’homosexualité au Québec et dans les pays occidentaux, https://www.monfilsgai.org/savoir/historique-de-la-situation-de-lhomosexualite-au-quebec-et-dans-les-pays-occidentaux/

Corraze, Jacques, L’homosexualité, Presses Universitaire de France, Que sais-je?, 1982